Have you ever wondered who invented the robot vacuum cleaner? Who should we thank for making cleaning a task that now takes mere minutes, with exceptional results? After all, the robot vacuum cleaner is a device that allows us to forget about the broom and then about the mop! Researching who made the first robot vacuum is incredibly fascinating, so let&#;s dive in right now.
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The first robot vacuum cleaner, which runs across the entire surface of your apartment and automatically cleans every corner, was invented and appeared on the market in . The famous Swedish company Electrolux was created and introduced to the public. Since then, robot vacuums have become incredibly popular and a highly coveted gift for every household.
The Swedes named the new model the Electrolux Trilobite. This robot vacuum was equipped with sensors for navigating rooms, allowing it to easily move from one room to another and clean every inch of the floor. Moreover, the first model could already map the space it worked in, enabling efficient cleaning and overcoming obstacles. The robot used ultrasonic technology to detect these obstacles, similar to how bats or dolphins navigate their surroundings. Despite this advanced technology, these robots were quite costly to manufacture, making them affordable only to wealthier individuals.
The technology introduced by Electrolux caused quite a stir. Following their example, other tech developers began enhancing and making the technology more accessible. In , the first mass-produced robot vacuums appeared, standing only 13 cm tall, working autonomously for up to 60 minutes, and offering three modes of operation: spot, quick, and regular cleaning.
Furthermore, the appliance could reach hard-to-access areas, clean under furniture, and even return to its charging station. Once again, this revolution was led by Electrolux, solidifying its position as a trendsetter in the field of robotic vacuums. Eventually, production became widespread, and more homes and offices began to experience automated cleaning.
A year after the updated and more affordable Trilobite version hit the market, iRobot introduced its Roomba sweeping robot. Roomba stood out with its patented three-stage cleaning technology: first, a side brush sweeps the surface, then a moving brush gathers dirt, and finally, the vacuum picks up the debris through a special port. Until then, most models on the market only used two-stage cleaning: sweeping and vacuuming. Roomba&#;s innovation allowed it to pick up even the tiny dust particles that cling to surfaces due to static electricity.
Today&#;s models can do what their predecessors couldn&#;t or did more primitively. Modern technology is now far more advanced and accessible, offering fantastic functionality that previous generations could only dream of.
What&#;s New?
Modern robot vacuums have learned to navigate rooms more efficiently, overcome obstacles, and create detailed space maps. Previously, this was done quite primitively. Today, features like AI and smart options have elevated cleaning efficiency to a new level. In addition to ultrasonic technology, infrared sensors are now used to detect obstacles more effectively. Users used to rely on hacks like attaching magnetic strips to stairs or doorways to prevent the vacuum from moving into dangerous areas. Second-generation robots couldn&#;t detect thresholds or stairs. Now, this is no longer a problem.
And even more:
Problems and Criticism of Early Robot Vacuums
Early models were extremely expensive and not accessible to everyone. Users expected perfect cleaning results for such a high price, but that wasn&#;t always the case. The main problem was that despite having sensors, the robots often didn&#;t navigate rooms efficiently, sometimes cleaning the same spot repeatedly while leaving other areas untouched. These issues have now been resolved with more advanced technology, artificial intelligence, and more sensitive sensors.
Over the last five years, the popularity of robot vacuums has surged again due to the resolution of these challenges. New-generation smart models are more efficient, affordable, and durable. They integrate seamlessly into &#;smart home&#; systems, becoming valuable household helpers that thoroughly clean the floors in every room.
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The evolution and robot vacuum cleaner history is impressive. From Electrolux&#;s first attempts to introduce such a product to the market to today&#;s highly effective, accessible, and still intelligent devices, less than 30 years have passed. The idea of autonomous cleaning has become a reality: a dream come true.
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Brookman explains that the legal barriers companies must clear to collect data directly from consumers are fairly low. The FTC, or state attorneys general, may step in if there are either &#;unfair&#; or &#;deceptive&#; practices, he notes, but these are narrowly defined: unless a privacy policy specifically says &#;Hey, we&#;re not going to let contractors look at your data&#; and they share it anyway, Brookman says, companies are &#;probably okay on deception, which is the main way&#; for the FTC to &#;enforce privacy historically.&#; Proving that a practice is unfair, meanwhile, carries additional burdens&#;including proving harm. &#;The courts have never really ruled on it,&#; he adds.
Most companies&#; privacy policies do not even mention the audiovisual data being captured, with a few exceptions. iRobot&#;s privacy policy notes that it collects audiovisual data only if an individual shares images via its mobile app. LG&#;s privacy policy for the camera- and AI-enabled Hom-Bot Turbo+ explains that its app collects audiovisual data, including &#;audio, electronic, visual, or similar information, such as profile photos, voice recordings, and video recordings.&#; And the privacy policy for Samsung&#;s Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum with lidar and Powerbot R, both of which have cameras, will collect &#;information you store on your device, such as photos, contacts, text logs, touch interactions, settings, and calendar information&#; and &#;recordings of your voice when you use voice commands to control a Service or contact our Customer Service team.&#; Meanwhile, Roborock&#;s privacy policy makes no mention of audiovisual data, though company representatives tell MIT Technology Review that consumers in China have the option to share it.
iRobot cofounder Helen Greiner, who now runs a startup called Tertill that sells a garden-weeding robot, emphasizes that in collecting all this data, companies are not trying to violate their customers&#; privacy. They&#;re just trying to build better products&#;or, in iRobot&#;s case, &#;make a better clean,&#; she says.
Still, even the best efforts of companies like iRobot clearly leave gaps in privacy protection. &#;It&#;s less like a maliciousness thing, but just incompetence,&#; says Giese, the IoT hacker. &#;Developers are not traditionally very good [at] security stuff.&#; Their attitude becomes &#;Try to get the functionality, and if the functionality is working, ship the product.&#;
&#;And then the scandals come out,&#; he adds.
The appetite for data will only increase in the years ahead. Vacuums are just a tiny subset of the connected devices that are proliferating across our lives, and the biggest names in robot vacuums&#;including iRobot, Samsung, Roborock, and Dyson&#;are vocal about ambitions much grander than automated floor cleaning. Robotics, including home robotics, has long been the real prize.
Consider how Mario Munich, then the senior vice president of technology at iRobot, explained the company&#;s goals back in . In a presentation on the Roomba 980, the company&#;s first computer-vision vacuum, he showed images from the device&#;s vantage point&#;including one of a kitchen with a table, chairs, and stools&#;next to how they would be labeled and perceived by the robot&#;s algorithms. &#;The challenge is not with the vacuuming. The challenge is with the robot,&#; Munich explained. &#;We would like to know the environment so we can change the operation of the robot.&#;
This bigger mission is evident in what Scale&#;s data annotators were asked to label&#;not items on the floor that should be avoided (a feature that iRobot promotes), but items like &#;cabinet,&#; &#;kitchen countertop,&#; and &#;shelf,&#; which together help the Roomba J series device recognize the entire space in which it operates.
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